Sudden unilateral vision loss in an adult with Behcet disease: A case report

Behcet disease is an autoimmune vasculitis, involving multiple systems and organs. It is often chronic and recurrent, and involves all levels of arteries and veins.

A 40-year-old Chinese male with sudden vision loss in his right eye for 3 days was reported.

The patient was diagnosed as bilateral uveitis (obstructive retinal vasculitis in the right eye) and Behcet disease.

The patient was given topical corticosteroids and compound tropicamide eye drops in our department. In addition, he was also hospitalized in the Rheumatology Department, and received systemic infusion of methylprednisolone and cyclophosphamide.

Best corrected visual acuity vision acuity of the left eye was 20/20 and that of the right eye was no light perception after 2 weeks. During the telephonic follow-up after 1 year, the patient reported 2 recurrent episodes of uveitis in the left eye, which improved after treatment at the local hospital.

It cautions ophthalmologists of the high possibility of vasculitis in young and middle-aged patients with retinal vascular occlusion. It also reminds the ophthalmologists investigate systemic diseases, and obtain detailed medical history, not just depending on specific laboratory findings. This case further suggests that Behcet disease has diverse manifestations, complex diagnosis, and severe lesions, and the recurrence rate must be controlled to minimize irreversible consequences such as sudden vision loss during recurrence.